Kaney, Jim  

Honestly, Kaney is a sweet old man. But he gets off subject and talks about things we do not need to know as non business majors. He'll get super into advanced accounting things that the non business major course does not need to know. It was hard to get myself to go to the actual class cus most of the learning was basically in the book since most of the time he would just put up balance sheets of other companies and not really explain the concepts of what the balance sheet for example was. If you're gonna take him, reaaaddd the book. Cus you won't get enough from just the lecture.

Really good at helping you understand topics. The review guides before each midterm were what you needed to study most. He is also helped a lot during office hours.

Great teacher! Goes out of his way to help students.

Kaney was great. Very nice guy and willing to help at anytime you need it. Gave plenty of extra credit possibilities to earn a few extra points. Just do your homework every night because he collects it, but as long as you attempted it, he gives you full credit. Take him if you can.

He does help to make sure you know the topic. He is easy to meet with and will help when ever you need it!

Professor Kaney is a great teacher. He always goes out of His way to make sure you know the material and to help you outside of class. He is a true teacher who cares about us students. You will learn the material very well and have fun taking the class. Take Kaney, you will be glad.

This teacher is very sweet and helpful. Definitely recommendable

He's so nice. We all bombed the midterm and he felt so guilty he's worked in extra credit for the past three weeks. He is always helpful.. Lots of supplemental worksheets. A decent amount of work but honestly its the only way to get accounting through. He's just the nicest guy! That is a ll there is to it. Go to class do your work and he'll make sure you do well.

Kaney is the best teacher ever! Although I hate being awake before noon, the 7 am class was worth it because he taught it! He knows the material, and is amazing at making it easy to understand. He is probably the most caring teacher I've had. He really wants you to do well. Definataly take him i cannot stress it enough. He is amazing. THere is A LOT of work for this class. There is homework and reading everynight, and it normally took me like 2 hours. There is 9 quizes(drops the lowest), and there is 2 midterms and a cummalative final. You will really understand accounting after taking his class, and it will make u actually like the subject. TAKE KANEY you wont regret it!

kaney is awesome. very demanding course, but you can't blame kaney. the project is somewhat difficult and the final is extremely hard. just make sure you show up everyday and earn the extra credit that he offers because it helps out a lot (even if he teaches at 7 am). very understanding teacher that truely cares about his students. the ONLY professor to take for bus 214.

excellent professor. has not only a lot of book knowledge on his subject but lots of great real world experience. one of the few teachers whose office hours really helped me out.

Take Kaney!! He is the reason I decided to go with accounting as my concentration. He truly wants his students to do well. Really memorize the practice problems he gives you as handouts...they will appear again on the tests. 9 quizes..drops the lowest one. Two midterms and a final. There is also a comprehensive final and big project. Go to his office hours, he will tell you whether your answers are right or wrong on the project...the only professor I know of who did that. He does everything so his students understand. He even does reviews before the tests. I am doing well in BUS 321 because I learned the material so well from him. TAKE KANEY!

Prof Kaney overall was a pretty interesting teacher. He has so much experience in the business world that he is worth listening to. Basically i got the impression he teaches for fun. he gives maybe 10 chapter quizes, two midterms, and cum. final. There is a lot of work for this class with homework every night and plan on reading each chapter because he seems to be pretty vague in class. Overall i learned a ton and it isnt hard to do well if you put a decent amount of effort into it.

I took this in the Fall of 2007, I am a junior now. I have to say I am going to try and be fair but in all honesty this class is a ton of work. And while Kaney is an alright teacher, you have homework due every night and everything must be done in EXCEL no exceptions(Because thats how it is in the business world), weekly quizzes. I am NOT saying not to take this teacher necessarily for these reasons but I will say there are better teachers out there. Also, he is really hard to get ahold of as he runs 2,3 different businesses. I botched this problem on the second midterm and showed all my work and he refused to give me any partial credit. That cost me a full letter grade. In his defense he did bump me up later from a C+ to a B- (I studied my ass off for the final).

I'm gonna be real, this class was a ton of work. None of it incredibly difficult, but a lot nonetheless. You have homework to be turned in at every class period, roughly a quiz a week, two midterms, a huge project, and a final. I would just power through 4 chapters at a time and do the homework all at once but it would take me an entire Saturday to do that. Quizzes are pretty easy, just the fact you have to study for them every week sucks. Midterms were long, but not too difficult...he never tries to trick you with any of the involved problems from the book. I spent way too much time on the project in relation to how much it was worth toward the overall grade so watch out for that. His lectures come straight out of the book (same numbers and everything) so if you read up beforehand like I did, you wish you didn't have to go to class but he takes attendance and sometimes gives extra points if you stay to the end (a tough task for a 2 hour class with no break). Overall, this class was pretty easy, you just have to put in the time.

Professor Kaney is a nice guy. You'd have to constantly remind him if you set an appointment with him. He is willing to help in his office hours if he is there. When he writes examples on the board he talks to the board and he he see his back. His exams consist of multiple choice and problems you have to show calculation. Be prepared for quizes, it can screw you over. Homework is assigned daily. Before you move on to another topic, be sure to know what you are already suppose to know.

Professor Kaney is a great guy who truly cares about his students. I have to say he is one of the best teachers i've ever had and he knows his stuff. He's owned a bunch of different companies and is a straight up baller. Honestly, i'm suprised he teaches because this guy is for sure really well off. On that note, i know why he is truly at Cal Poly, he loves to share his knowledge with others. Lastly, take professor Kaney no matter what time the class is at, you won't regret it.

Kaney is great. He knows a whole lot about accounting and uses his past experiences to help clarify certain ideas. And he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. There's homework due every class and about 8 quizzes, but they're not too difficult. There are also 4 excel projects which take a lot of time and can be hard, but if you use his office hours he will help you out a lot. You need to study a good amount for his tests, but as long as you put the time in he is so worthwhile. Definitely take him if you're considering an accounting concentration. THIS GUY IS GREAT!

Great teacher...class is really early in the morning, but definitely worth taking. You do have to do homework every day, but it makes you learn the material really well. If you stay on top of the class, it's not too difficult...much easier then financial accounting.

Prof. Kaney is a great teacher, not to mention a great guy. He is always there for you...trust me. I must have called him at 10:30pm for help on the excel project, and he helped me through it. The tests arent easy, but he gives a lot of extra credit to raise your grade. He does assign homework after every class but it is pretty easy to get through. Take Kaney, the guys experience is worth it alone.

Kaney is an amazing professor. A friend and I commented as we finished taking the final how we really felt like we learned something in his class. He does have homework due every class that you have to do or it will affect your grade... but the flip side is that having to do the homework really prepares you for his periodic quizes that you are aware about. Along with quizes there are four excel projects and two midterms and a final that also factor in to your grade. The excel projects are time consuming but if you go to his office hours, which he is very helpful at and is actually there, you should get full credit. The test questions are fair and you feel well prepared for the tests based on the homworks and projects. Definately worth waking up at 7am to take. I would highly recommend Kaney!

Great BUS 215 teachers for the reasons stated below. Has plenty of business experience and always has a real world experience to share with the class.

Kaney is an amazing teacher. You can tell he actually cares about helping us become intelligent business professionals. He is completely fair with all the homework (which is for our benefit b/c the answers are available online to check yourslef). The tests are easy. He teaches everything clearly and at a good pace. He is not an unreasonable teacher by any means. Very laid back and nice.

He's an awesome prof, teaches well and is very helpful in office hours. make sure you check your excel projects with him in office hours before you turn it in for max credit. tests are kinda hard and so are the quizes, but just learn the formulas and it'll be fine. the hw is pretty easy. push for extra credit during class and he might give it to you. great teacher

Professor Kaney is a great professor but if you're looking for an easy class, this isn't it. I definitely learned a lot and he was always available for office hours. The class is definitely challenging and requires a lot of work but as long as you stay on top of it, you should be fine. Great guy overall.

Professor Kaney at first seemed like such a strict and hardcore teacher, but he is super easy! This class has homework that is do every day and there are many quizzes. Three tests total, the first one is the easiest. make sure you review over your tests when you get them back and if you have an argument that you think something is right, then fight it ebcause he will most likely give you credit for it. He gives extra credit a lot which is seriously a grade booster. I got enough extra credit to raise my second test which i got a C+ on to an A. Attendance is mandatory, but if you have a situation he is flexible and accommodating to most. Just do your homework and show up everyday and you will be solid.

Kaney's a real great guy. He's got business experience spilling out of his pockets, seriously cares about his students and our futures, and can tell wonderful tales like a seasoned grandpa. BUS 215's a bitch but Kaney's a beast.

Kaney's class was the most boring of all time (even worse than Pols112.) He lectures literally from bell to bell so don't expect to ever leave early. Besides that, he is a genuinely nice man and wants to see us succeed. If he had a teaching strategy from this century, I'm sure he would be awesome.

Professor Kaney is an interesting man. He knows what he's talking about but sometimes the way he words things can be hard to follow. Do the practice problems he gives in class, they are the most representative of what will be seen on midterms and final.

His lectures were so dry...I sat in the back of the room and fell asleep almost every class. We had a 2 hour block and he would lecture all the way through (time to catch up on some zzs lol). Overall, he's very knowledgeable about managerial accounting because of his experience in the field. He's stubborn if you have a dispute about the clarity of a quiz or midterm question however. He'll spend forever talking about it, without even addressing the original question. He doesn't really learn names of students, and he doesn't use Polylearn to upload grades. The practice sheets he gives before midterms are VERY useful. Do them!! And practice. Because those sheets are very representative of the free response portion of the tests. He is an okay lecturer. The connect assignments were somewhat difficult sometimes, but the homework from the book is straight vocabulary.

Kaney is a good teacher and all, but he's really old and sometimes it just feels like his brain isn't working as well. A lot will get past him, I have been in two of his classes now and it's really frustrating when you ask him a question and he doesn't even answer the question but moves on. He will claim that he's going to "work your butt off' but both his classes were relatively easy if you try.

What the guy/gal below said. Amen. I too took this class and have long since graduated from Poly, but I was cruising Poly Ratings for a kick and thought that I should pipe in and let you know how much of a joke this prof is.

Very interesting class as far as the examples and stories Kaney told in class. Although the actually lecture material was a little hard to follow and I felt we often had to learn small details about topics that were irrelevant to the real world, the class was good. Projects were difficult but not impossible, tests were doable, but I noticed many people didn't study enough. Great class and great, helpful professor.

Kaney is an excellent instructor, and he is incredibly knowledgeable. He speaks a lot from experience and gives real world testimony relating to the accounting principals that he is lecturing on. The projects that are assigned are actually enjoyable and realistic, and will help to expand your knowledge of accounting. There is a lot of work to do in this class, and the quizzes and exams require you to have read the material and study accordingly. I would not say this course is very difficult. Take Kaney if you can and you will get your money's worth.

Kaney has lots of experience in business management and is more than qualified to teach a class about internal controls. He is less up to date on computer/IS stuff. He is very helpful during office hours.

Kaney is awesome. He has a lot of experience and shares his real life stories with the class when they apply to his lecture. He was an easy grader and such a helpful teacher. 4 quizzes, 1 midterm, 1 final, and 4 group projects. Oh, and he gives you a seating chart and picks groups. Would have gotten an A but I got food poisoning right before the final

Professor is a really nice and helpful guy, usually available at office hours and ready to help. He genuinely wants to see students be successful. The class itself is really dry, a lot of info systems is built into the class and very little accounting is incorporated. The projects are tough, so start early and be prepared to ask questions. Fair grader, good professor.

Super boring class but awesome professor!!! It's really straightforward and he does his best to make it interesting. Gotta love kaney

The class itself is extremely boring. The textbook is dense in material which makes reading 30+ pages a night and homework difficult and the lectures put nearly half the class to sleep. At the beginning of the quarter, Kaney said that this class is going to take at least 15-20hrs a week to get an A in the class and he's not wrong. Between 6 projects varying from presentations to excel to large diagrams, 5 quizzes, homework, midterm, and a final there is a lot asked from students. Kaney fortunately tries to make the information interesting by providing stories on his experience in the accounting world. If you can schedule a meeting with him (I found it very difficult) he is extremely helpful on assignments and will give you hints on how to improve. Kaney also gives out a detailed study guide for the midterm and final (Both were average difficulty exams). I found the hardest part of the class to be its team aspect. Kaney assigns a seating chart and teams of 4 on the first day, and if you are stuck in a poor performing group (I had 1 kid that never showed up and another that literally didn't know anything about accounting) you are stuck with them for the rest of the quarter. This class is not easy and I would recommend not taking it with other difficult major courses unless you want to spend your quarter in the library.

Honestly just a really boring class and he tries to keep the class engaged but it's essentially impossible. I hated how he graded the projects and the tests were really hard to study for with so much information in the book. Was excited for this class at the beginning but really hated it at the end. I would say his rating is pretty inflated and misleading. Nice guy though

Kaney is an amazing person and teacher. The book is really dry which makes it hard to read. The study guide helped tremendously for the Midterm and Final. The class isn't hard but a lot of busy work.

So this class was... decent. I really enjoyed my group and that's what got me through this quarter. Kaney is a great guy and occasionally funny, but his lectures can be really boring and dry (I never payed attention and still got an A). The textbook is BORING its the most aesthetically and contextually boring book I have ever seen in my life. Of course, the projects were fun if you enjoy accounting. There is a lot of busy work with this class (homework due basically every class, 4 projects, 2 excel projects, weekly quizzes), but if you read the textbook, you're golden. Make sure your projects are aesthetically appealing too! He puts a lot of weight on that! Also, two of the projects are actually presentations, so keep that in mind. I would recommend Kaney!

Kaney is great, I would absolutely recommend his 319 class. He loves to tell stories from his business days and is just a funny old man. Very knowledgable, his powerpoint lectures can be boring but he loves sprinkling in his stories which livens things up a bit. The midterm and final are pretty in depth, but the hardest part of this class is the group projects. Make sure to get a good group of hard workers because Kaney's projects are difficult. This class takes a lot of time so don't load up too much with other classes. Overall, a good class and you'll walk away having learned a lot!

I learned nothing in Kaney's class all year and got a B+. He is a super nice guy but not the best professor. Nobody pays attention to his lectures and he assigns impossible projects that he grades almost randomly. Hopefully you get a good group (they are assigned) because you will be spending a lot of time with them throughout the quarter. I think he is the only professor for Accounting IS, so if you are an accounting concentration you are kinda stuck with him.

Week before finals so I'll just write a review. The first project is going to seem hard as fuck, but it really isn't. It's going to be a lot of work, but it is just so that you can review what you learned in Financial and Managerial Accounting. The later projects (which there a lot of) are much easier than the first one assigned. You have to do 2 presentations, both 5 minutes and with your groups so it's not too bad. You got to dress up though which kind of sucked. Pray that you get in a good group because you are stuck with them for the rest of the quarter. You are going to look at the midterm study guide and think the exam is going to be easy as fuck, you're wrong, dead fucking wrong. The midterm is hard as fuck, mainly because the chapters from the textbook are so dense. Haven't taken the final yet, but it's worth 40% of my grade so that's going to be fun. To summarize the class: easy to get a B/C, A is going to be a lot of work, lectures are insanely boring, lots of projects, Kaney is a funny guy.

Kaney is the only professor who teaches BUS 319, so you're kinda stuck with him, however, you're lucky because his experience, stories, and personality are so helpful and he is full of resources for you to advance your knowledge and career. His lectures are sorta helpful, however, his powerpoints are full of words that I would not recommend copying down as he has his powerpoints listed on his polylearn. Focus your time on the projects, vocab, and rereading the powerpoints. I read the whole book and I think that was helpful, but some people can get by without reading it. Don't BS anything, he can smell it. Also, don't underestimate the midterm or final - they are both "doozies" as he would say. This class was challenging but incredibly rewarding.

"AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT MY WIFE TELLS ME"

good overall teacher but very unrealistic in demands for class (20-25 hours per week to receive anything more than a C) and ability to notice what a student needs help with. Expect to be working on continual projects with a group all quarter (there are 7) and to be thrown into systems such as the ERP systems with absolutely no instruction other than a very vague word document form Kaney. Groups did not help in completing any of the projects (usually there was three people watching one person do everything on a computer) and gave a very dry tone to accounting.

Work load is pretty manageable depending on what group you get, and that's difficult to foresee as Kaney chooses a seating chart which then is your group. The only thing about the work is that... it's so goddamn boring. You have to read the textbook as the quizzes depend on it, but it put me to sleep so many times that reading just doesn't seem to be a viable option unless you get off on being bored. Accounting is not a very stimulating subject and Kaney really drives that point home, as the whole class is drier than the Sahara Desert in the summer. Midterm is 30%, final is 40%, and there are projects, quizzes, and homework that really seem negligible in comparison to the grading scheme of the exams. One good thing though is Kaney literally doesn't check if you did the right problems for homework, or if you got them right, you just get credit for doing it (however, hw is only 2% of the grade). Tl;dr this class is doable but so goddamn boring that it makes it difficult. And Kaney loves to mention his 5 citizens arrests whenever he can.

Nice gentleman. Tons of real world experience unlike some professors who one day were students and the next were professors without ever having worked in the real world. Very helpful in his office hour but beware: long lines of kids form and you gotta wait in the narrow hall sitting on the ground for an hour. Lectures were mostly reading the book author's powerpoints and I can see how some would find them boring. But I did not find them uninteresting because I actually am interested in accounting. Homework every week and it is really simple one word or one sentence answers meant to be busy work. This busy work actually is what you need for the quizzes and exams. He flat out tells you what will be on them and what to study. I did not find reading the textbook boring at all and found it to be logical and easy to comprehend. The 2 big projects are intense and time consuming. That first project is rebuilding a set of financials and using the complete accounting cycle. Heavy Excel usage. The fraud case was interesting and he provides lots of Excel advice that was very helpful. Not a lot of guidance provided for the ERP project and that was frustrating but you get thru it. Midterm and final exam were easy. Scantron test with supplemental fill-in-the-blank portions including journal entries, and your analysis of a case study. If you did the homeworks and know your accounting, you'll be fine. Great guy wish he taught more accounting courses. He does get confused sometimes and trips over his tongue a fair amount, but still a great professor that genuinely wants to see his students succeed.

Honestly love Kaney as a person, but not as a professor. It was extremely hard to ever see him during office hours (even if you scheduled an appointment) because of the immense amount of projects assigned. Every week there was a project which meant every week there was a line outside of his office of confused students who need assistance. Usually took half an hour or more to get through; I always caught myself debating whether it was really worth the wait. His study guides, although helpful, did not have all the material required to pass the midterms and finals. I had the study guide memorized front & back, got A's on every quiz, yet barely got B's on the exams. Make sure you study EVERYTHING in the book & powerpoints, not just the study guide. I personally found the free response to be quite easy since he always told us what exactly was going to be on it. Too many projects to handle, some I thought were completely unnecessary. If you don't get a good group may the odds be in your favor. For the amount of time put into each project they are not worth enough points towards the overall grade. So much time wasted on projects of minuscule value to my final grade. This class covers a lot of material that will have you constantly wondering (do I really need to know this)? The answer is yes, you do.

Find someone in previous classes and use their projects as a guide to do yours. He does not explain the projects clearly and you will most likely have to consult someone who has done them already. If you need to go to his office hours, go an hour early because he will most likely be there, and because you will have to end up waiting in line over an hour anyway if you show up on time since it's always so crowded. His projects are so time consuming and worth almost nothing compared to the exams, but he gives opportunities for extra credit and the material is pretty straightforward.

He never fails to talk about the Grocery Business that he used to own. He talks about it every class period.....Turns out it went bankrupt a couple years back. Also, he is dated on information systems and will give you an extremely heavy workload.

Not a huge fan of Kaney. This class is extremely dry and boring so get prepared to doze off during class. Most of the information is on the powerpoints and in book and during lecture he mainly just reads off the slides. I spent most of the time working on the projects while he lectured and let me tell you, the projects take FOREVER and once you mess up you are done for. Honestly, if you end up spending too much time on the project, low-key just give up or half ass it to finish even if you know its wrong because the amount of points they are worth is not worth the hours of your time you could be doing other things. I found half the projects extremely pointless to, seems like just a bunch of busy work. Don't sweat the presentations either. My group spent 1 hour total on one while other groups spent SOOOO long preparing there presentation and he ended up giving everyone 100%. And he will never shut up about his old business and his wife. Such a classic business man. One good thing he did was warning us everything that would be on quizzes or tests so that is something you should look out for in lecture and only take notes like "this will be on test" but for most part material on slides is self explanatory.

Professor Kaney, is a great man that really cares about his students. His students success is his number 1 priority and that means a lot to have so much confidence coming from a professor. He is also a very smart guy and has had a lot of business experience. The class itself is work intensive. Do not underestimate how much work this class be like I did. Luckily, I was able to do pretty well but that is due to the sheer amount of hours I have put into this class. You will get a project day 1, and continure to do projects through the end. There are 4 projects, 2 with additional individual parts, and 2 separate excel projects. The first project took awhile, second was pretty easy (he gave everyone on a 100% on the presentations), third was really time consuming and frustrating and the individual part of the fourth took awhile. The projects all together are maybe 20% of your grade- really not that much for the effort put in. There are 5 quizzes and HW due every class - also worth next to nothing but enough to want to do it. The midterm is 30% of the grade and final is 40% - both doable with a lot of studying but the book is really not fun so studying for this class is not easy. Overall, this class is an insane amount of work but Professor Kaney is a great guy

Wow. Kaney is really raising the bar... RAISING THE BAR ON HOW BORING A CLASS CAN BE. Every single day, just 2 hour long powerpoint lectures about his failing restaurant and other crazy people.

My Wife. My Grocery Store. Peekaboo. My sTudENts UsE flOWcHarTs.

Horrible, Horrible, Horrible, Horrible, Horrible, Horrible, Horrible, too much work and its unnecessary,

Honestly not the best class. I walked away without having learned a ton more accounting. Had to study a quality amount. Got bored to tears a few times. Really sweet guy though. He also definitely knows his stuff. Probably the most meh class I have taken at Poly.

Kaney is dad.

Extremely nice guy. He wants all his students to do well, and makes it clear in class. The work load isn't too difficult, with plenty of points available to make up for a bad score on a midterm. I really enjoyed the class, and hope to have his again down the road.

Jim was a great person. Really easy to talk to about anything. He brings real life experience to the classroom and is very knowledgeable about the industry. I think however accounting is more his subject than finance. He knew what he was talking about, but was unable to clearly present the material. What also made it difficult was that the book didn't help at all. With all the extra credit he gives it is hard not to get a good grade if you go to class. Take this class if you can teach yourself the information and are willing to ask lots of questions.

He is very helpful in class and in his office hours. Hands everything back the day after and goes over any questions you may have had on the assignments. Lots of work but he makes up for it with extra credit. The tests are pretty tough but so is the material in general. I definitely reccomend him.

Kaney is awesome if you want to take a class and not be so bored you won't want to go take him. Tests are challenging but really nothing that he doesn't explicitly cover and tell you to review. Nice guy, good teacher, entertaining class

Professor Kaney definitely tries to make this class experience a valuable one. He's not a "by the book" kind of teacher, instead, he opts for challenging comprehensive projects that simulate things you might do in the real life workplace. Projects - challenging, Exams - easy. His class has some aspects to it that are rough around the edges, and can sometimes can be frustrating. My advice: TALK TO HIM. Go to his office hours, he's extremely helpful and knowledgable. Trust me, it'll really make the difference in determining what your experience is like.